December road trip San Francisco to San Diego

Hi, we are slightly clueless Europeans who are contemplating a december road trip from SF to San Diego. We have two weeks in total in the USA, flying into SF and would like to spend some time in SF and San Diego, but could take a maximum of 3-4 days for the trip down.

Could you experts recommend an intinerary for us. Would we able to tie in the trip with a tour of some vineyards and are there any must-see sights on the way? Will the sea fog be a problem if we drive down the coast?

It's our ten year anniversary in December and we are thinking of getting married on the journey. Does anyone have a suggestion for a memorable (but low key) wedding?


Thanks for reading,


Ed and Jo.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

I'd hardly call someone who picked one of the most scenic and romantic venues in North America for their 10th anniversary 'clueless'. And 3-4 days is time enough to take a relatively relaxed journey down the California Coast. I'm not big into vineyard tours, and so don't know which to recommend but here is a site that lists those available on the Central Coast and in Southern California, the two regions you'll be driving through from San Francisco down to San Diego. As for other things to see along the way... Be sure to take the time to drive down CA-1 along the coast. Visit Monterey and take the 17 Mile Drive as well as stop at the aquarium. Also, take in one or more of the old California Missions. As you work your way down the Big Sur coast, there are a number of State Parks both on the coast and inland sides of the highway. One that you must make time for is San Simeon, but also be on the lookout for elephant seal rookeries. Once you hit Los Angeles, the remaining drive down to San Diego becomes a bit more work since that stretch is much more built up, but fog should not be too big a problem as the foggy season is on now and should be well over by December. As for renewing your wedding vows, I think I'd try to find a church of your faith or denomination along the way, contact them, and see what you might be able to arrange before coming over. You can probably find a drive-in wedding chapel in LA, but those never struck me as terribly romantic. Enjoy your trip.

AZBuck